Suspect Convictions

The burning corpse of a 9-year old girl was found on a school playground in Davenport, Iowa, September 17, 1990.
Within days of the discovery of Jennifer Lewis’ charred body, police arrested Stanley Liggins, an African American who had just been released from prison. An Iowa jury convicted him and after 26-years behind bars, an appellate court has granted him a new trial.
The court’s decision was prompted by allegations of hidden evidence and potential police misconduct. Liggins will stand trial in May 2017. And once again, the question will be asked: Who killed Jennifer Lewis?
Veteran journalist Scott Reeder, who was at the crime scene the night Jennifer was killed, has conducted a massive investigation examining evidence in the case, interviewing witnesses and exploring the lives of both the victim and the accused. Troubling new developments have been uncovered. Reeder teamed with the NPR affiliate, WVIK, to produce this podcast: “Suspect Convictions.”

A month before Jennifer Lewis was killed, Stanley Liggins was arrested for sexually abusing another 9-year-old girl. This victim, now in her 30s, shares a chilling story of what happened to her that terrible day. Lawyers debate whether this prior bad act should be used in the upcoming murder trial. And a mother provides testimony about what she says Liggins told her.

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Today we’re looking at some of the broad issues that were raised by the case of Stanley Liggins Vs. the State of Iowa such as the exclusionary rule, which can block certain types of evidence from being presented in court if the court finds that they were obtained illegally by the police, how much prior bad acts should be allowed in as evidence against a suspect, as well as issues surrounding the death penalty.

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On today’s episode, Stanley Liggins wants to fire his defense team, so we discuss what that means for the upcoming trial. In addition, we talk about the paid informant involved in the Stanley Liggins case, and look at the defense strategies that may be used during the upcoming trial.

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This week, Scott sat down with several people behind other true-crime podcasts, to discuss some of the intricacies about the Stanley Liggins case, and dig into some angles that may not have been considered yet.